So much for focusing on the economy.
Advertisement
Terrorism consultant and former Indianapolis homeland security director Peter Beering says it’s “a line call” whether the comments would trigger an investigation under other circumstances. And in Trump’s defense, he did at first say Hillary wanted to “abolish” the Second Amendment, but then quickly corrected himself and said, “effectively abolish”.
Clinton is trying to taking advantage of the turmoil in the Trump campaign, pitching herself to independents and moderate Republicans, and building on her momentum after party conventions.
Later Wednesday afternoon, Trump denied that he had met with Secret Service. “Words matter, my friends, and if you are running to be president or you are president of the United States, words can have tremendous consequences”, Clinton told a Des Moines, Iowa rally Wednesday.
Regardless of what he meant by his remarks, more important is how they’d be interpreted.
Watch why Donald Trump’s assassination remarks shouldn’t surprise us.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the audience during a campaign event at Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Tuesday.
The best moves for Trump’s detractors may be withholding their endorsements, refusing to raise money for his campaign, throwing their weight behind Clinton or holding out hope that he voluntarily quits.
Trump’s ambiguous comments drew instant rebukes from Democrats and raised eyebrows among Republicans. In Ohio – a competitive state coveted by both Trump and Clinton, Trump’s comments struck some of those questioned in a focus group of Ohio voters the wrong way.
But Mike Smith, a Republican voter and Reuters/Ipsos poll respondent, said the support Trump is still receiving from Republicans “almost seems obligatory rather than voluntary”. “Believe me, they’re not cleaning it”.
Trump plans to discuss energy and the economy during appearances Wednesday in Virginia and Florida. “And this year, they will be voting in record numbers, and it won’t be for Hillary Clinton, it will be for Donald Trump”. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.
Mr Trump’s campaign sought to quell the controversy with a statement that blamed the “dishonest media” for misinterpretation.
Clinton’s campaign now has a website for Republicans and political independents to sign up to pledge their support, listing 50 prominent Republicans and independents who have endorsed her.
“I just don’t want you to be shot by someone who shouldn’t have a gun in the first place”, she said. “I never said that”.
Republican consultant Bruce Haynes, founding partner of Washington-based Purple Strategies, called it “the curse of the undisciplined candidate”.
A source close to Clinton said she would soon release the return, supplementing the decades of returns she and her husband have already made public.
“He comes off as an entertainer”, he said.
Advertisement
Shays has said he will vote for Clinton while Humphrey and Weber have said they would vote for her if the election was close.
